Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 July 2024 on First steps to reform water sector, what steps he is taking to establish customer panels; and what mechanisms for accountability to customers will the customer panels have.

The Secretary of State recently announced a series of initial steps towards ending the crisis in the water sector. This included announcing consumers will gain new powers to hold water company bosses to account through powerful new customer panels. For the first time in history, customers will have the power to summon board members and hold water executives to account.

We will provide further details on these panels in the coming months.

I would also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by the Secretary of State on 18 July: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.